Say It Again
by ShinyBrightStar
Summary: Donald Ressler is a hard man to crack but Lily Marouf is not a quitter... If you're looking for a good old love story that makes you want to scream, laugh, and cry at the same time, then just click on the name and follow the story of Ressler finding love where he least expected it, in the Post Office... (Ressler/OC) Rated T for now, will turn mature eventually.
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of The Blacklist characters, however I own some original characters that you'll get to know them one by one.**

**Hi, thanks for giving my story a try!**

**Before you start, I have to explain, this story is a Donald/OC story with touches of other couples along the way. There are some changes in the plot to fit my original character. And the main focus of this story are not the blacklisters, but the love story between the two main characters!**

**And the rating's T for now, but it will turn mature in the future so I'll change it. (There are some swear words in the chapter but I still think it's T)**

**Hope you'll enjoy it and leave a review!**

**Let's GO:**

Chapter1_New Beginning

"Find me Elizabeth Keen, now!"

That was the famous Donald Ressler shout, reaching her ears again, and without hesitation her fingers started typing away. She could feel him come closer by every second and the moment that he was in front of her desk, something popped up on the screen.

She announced: "Elizabeth Keen, married, profiler for the Bureau, guess what? Today is her first day." Donald raised his eyebrows and then moved to the exit, signaling some agents to go with him, and shouted for her to hear: "Send me her address."

Lily whispered to herself: "Yes, sir."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Everybody was out of control, most of all Ressler, who couldn't hide his resentment and suspicion for agent Keen that was just brought in. She knew behind those closed doors, something was happening, something was changing but she couldn't picture how it would go.

Finally after an hour, Cooper and Ressler came out of the meeting/questioning alongside agent Keen. Lily couldn't help but feel bad for her, she looked scared but she was trying to hide it so hard.

Donald came to her and said rather quietly: "We're taking her to the Post Office. Get your coat; you're coming with us as well." Lily nodded and stood up to go get her things and tried to hurry so she wouldn't be the cause of delay.

After a couple of minutes, the four of them were sitting in a SUV headed for the Post Office. Donald introduced her: "This is Lily Marouf, the head tech of our unit." Lily shook Cooper's hand with a big smile and then went on to shake agent Keen's hand.

Lily could see the burning scars on her palm, and noticed the way she stroked it subconsciously every time Ressler or Cooper mentioned his name: Reddington.

Lily finally started thinking about the man that literally made a mess out of everything in just a matter of hours. Her world was upside down, her job was changing directions, and she was in a car with Donald Ressler, assistant director of counterterrorism, and a woman who was thrown in the middle of everything.

Ressler started explaining the Post Office to agent Keen the moment they arrived there. After they reached the unit, Donald let her talk with Cooper and came to Lily: "You bring your system or whatever it is that you need near us, alright? I want us to be prepared for everything that can come out of that son of a bitch's mouth."

Lily gave him a quiet 'right away' and went to grab her things and then brought everything she needed to a desk in the control room where everyone was watching Reddington trapped in "the box". Donald acknowledged her presence with a simple nod and then turned his attention back to Reddington.

Lily watched as Elizabeth went out the door and sat right across the man that wanted to talk to her directly. She could see how everybody was amazed by the amount of information Reddington had on her, from her personal style to her parents.

After Reddington mentioned Ranko Zamani's abduction plan, Lily started searching for General Ryker and his daughter and found out his location at the moment. She tried telling Ressler but he hushed her. Lily rolled her eyes and waited for him to come to her.

Agent Keen finally returned and somehow the only thing that mattered to Ressler was the fact that her father's criminal record hadn't shown up on her background report. "Typical Ressler…" Lily thought with a smirk.

Although Ressler was insisting he was bluffing, Elizabeth convinced them to go after the girl and protect her so Donald turned to Lily with raised eyebrows and she answered: "General Ryker is at the Pentagon right now."

Donald nodded and took his coat and went to assemble a team for the little girl. Lily sighed and closed her eyes for a moment, praying the girl would be safe soon.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It took more than an hour for the team to come back to the unit. Elizabeth came in first, injured and exhausted. She looked like she had just survived a terrible car crash. Lily stood up to go over there and comfort her but then Donald came in.

He wasn't injured but he was soaking wet and lightly shivering. Lily rushed to the coffee machine and grabbed two coffees and ran to offer both of the agents some comfort. Without asking, Elizabeth said: "We lost the girl…"

Lily sighed heavily and said: "I kind of figured that out." She noticed Donald chuckling quietly and tried to smile at him but he didn't notice. Elizabeth went to talk to Cooper and Lily found an opportunity to suggest: "Agent Ressler, you should put on some dry clothes otherwise you might catch a cold."

He took a sip of his coffee and answered tiredly: "Do I look like I care?" Lily frowned and answered firmly: "Well you can't chase someone with your nose running all over the place, can you?" With that, she walked away and left the amused Donald alone.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The unit was helpless, they couldn't find the girl, and they had no lead. Suddenly Elizabeth walked in with the one and only, Raymond Reddington, handcuffed and ready to amaze people. He started wandering around and messing with the suspect board and finally gave them a lead on Zamani; the Chemist.

Lily watched in amazement as he bargained his way to his favorite hotel and had the FBI pay every penny. She shook her head lightly and chuckled; she didn't even realize Donald was staring at her. The minute she raised her head up he turned his head away.

Lily gave Donald a smirk as he was appointed to escort Reddington to the hotel but he didn't show any reaction. Reddington trailed Donald's eyes back to her and gave Lily a charming smile. She smiled back but then Donald turned him around to uncuff him.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Lily was sipping her coffee and watching him do some paperwork on his desk, so caught up in what he was doing he didn't notice her. She put her coffee down and sighed; wondering why he was so tense, again.

The question popped up in her mind ten month ago, when she first met Donald Ressler. She was just hired to work for the FBI, and he was her commanding officer. Although he could be a stone-cold person most of the time, Lily had seen the real Donald at least a couple of times.

Lily knew from the first second she met him that he was the complete opposite of her. She couldn't believe how strict and hard-to-crack he was while she was easygoing and open.

She could remember that day vividly, the day they had their first real conversation. It was only a month since she had started working with him and needless to say, they weren't getting along.

That day she came in late, and because of that, the unit wasn't able to track the suspect in time. Lily had never seen him furious before, and she was truly scared but held her own.

**_"Marouf, in my office, now." He muttered calmly but the venom in his words were utterly visible to her. Lily put her bag on her desk and walked to his office without looking at anyone. She marched in and did as he told her: "Close the door."_**

**_Donald asked while sitting behind his desk: "What was the first thing I asked you when you came to the unit, Marouf?" Lily answered rather quietly: "You asked me if I was punctual." Donald raised his eyebrows and asked said: "I didn't hear that; what was that?"_**

**_Lily started: "Sir, I'm sorry, I know I'm late, but it's only fifteen minutes, I promise it won't happen again so…" Donald cut her off and half-shouted: "fifteen minutes? Do you know what happened in these fifteen minutes? We lost our only lead, our only fucking lead. Can you fix that?"_**

**_Lily opened her mouth to say something but Donald continued: "Do you even have any idea how hard we worked to find that one little lead and now it's gone." Lily rushed before he could say anything else: "Sir, there are other people working here as well… If you could just ask them we wouldn't even be having this conversation."_**

**_Donald got up and walked to her: "You think I didn't ask them? None of them could track him, we have ten people working on it right now but nothing. You, on the other hand, were hired because you are smart, special, and apparently very good at what you do. I can't have you come in late and risk everything, do you understand me?"_**

**_Lily tried not to show that deep down she was smiling because of his compliments and said: "Yes, sir." Donald calmed down finally and said: "And don't call me sir, it makes me feel old." Lily nodded: "of course, sir… I mean, Donald… Umm, agent Ressler?"_**

**_Donald shook his head slightly and chuckled to himself and then pointed to the door: "Now go do your job." Lily smiled and left his office, rushing to get herself a coffee and get back to her desk._**

**_The day passed slowly as she was trying to put together the pieces and fix what she, according to Ressler, broke. The unit was almost empty as everyone was leaving after a stressful day at work. Lily had finally found something and tried to tell someone but then noticed there were only the two of them left._**

**_She walked up to his office and knocked and went in. He tried to hide it but she still saw the Jack Daniels flask and raised her eyebrows. She never would've pictured him drinking in the office and the thought of him breaking at least one rule, was shockingly attractive to her._**

**_Donald cleared his throat and said: "Alright, come in." Lily tried to hide her smirk but she failed. She saw him roll his eyes and smirked even wider. Donald started: "Look, I don't usually do this in the office but as you know today wasn't such a blast so…"_**

**_Before she could stop herself, Lily asked: "Why is catching Reddington so important to you, agent Ressler?" Ressler sighed and closed his eyes and massaged his forehead before answering: "I… You don't know me very well but I take it you already figured out how hard I'm willing to work to earn something, right?"_**

**_Lily nodded in agreement and he continued: "My life turned upside down when I was assigned to capture that man. I lost so many things along the way but I didn't look back. So I guess now's not the time to back down."_**

**_Lily was speechless for the first time in her lifetime. Donald Ressler had just shown her the vulnerable side of him and she couldn't help but feel bad for the guy and also, she couldn't help but feel just a little bit attracted to him._**

**_She gave him the brightest smile and said: "I'm sure you're going to catch him soon." Donald scoffed: "Oh, really?!" Lily nodded and said: "I have something to show you." She walked out of his office and he followed her._**

**_On her monitor there was a picture of Grey, their suspect, and in disbelief Donald heard her: "I found him. I found Reddington's little minion." Donald stared at her with his eyes ready to pop out and just asked: "How?"_**

**_Lily smirked and said: "Well, let's just say I'm smart, special, and apparently very good at what I do…" Donald laughed and Lily chuckled along with him and then grabbed her bag and said: "Have a good night, Donald."_**

**_She walked past him with a victorious smile and tried not to think about the tingles his laugh made her feel…_**

She was so lost in her thoughts she didn't realize Donald finally had noticed her and was looking at her confused. He stood up and walked in her direction and she jumped up a little and tried to look chill.

Donald asked with a chuckle: "Are you still worried I catch a cold?" Lily laughed and answered right back: "Maybe." He leaned against her desk and asked: "Seriously, what were you thinking so tensely about?"

Lily opened her mouth to say something but his phone started ringing and he mouthed a quiet 'sorry' at her and picked up the phone. He took a couple of steps forward and then Lily heard him yell: "What? Where the fuck were you? I'll be right there."

He turned around and said worriedly: "Keen just put a fucking pen in Reddington's neck." Lily's mouth fell when she heard him and Donald went to grab his coat and left for the hotel.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The next morning, Lily got a call from Ressler informing her Reddington has escaped the hospital so she started tracking him by the chip. She heard Ressler run to catch him, giving him directions as he continued chasing him.

The signal stopped for a moment and Ressler shouted: "Where is he?" Lily answered loudly: "He's right there. He should be. Wait a minute, are stairs behind you?" Ressler took the stairs and she could hear him breathe fast and prayed nothing bad would happen to him.

She heard him yell: "Reddington!" but then again he said shocked: "Zamani…" Lily couldn't understand what happened. Did Reddington remove the chip?

She heard gun shots and held her breath but let it out as she heard Ressler say: "He pulled the tracking chip. Son of a bitch." Lily asked: "Everything alright?" Ressler said tired: "Still don't know where the fuck Reddington is, but Zamani is down."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

She heard that Reddington was helping them all along and was with Keen at the zoo and he was brought back in again. She knew Cooper and Ressler were having a meeting with him and she was wondering what would happen to him.

There were things she couldn't crack: why he surrendered himself in the first place? Just to take down Zamani? Get the chemical bomb for himself? That plan for a man like him sounded completely ridiculous.

If it wasn't about Zamani, was it about Keen? Was it only about her? How did he know her when she didn't know him in return? Lily massaged her head thinking about Keen and her husband that was dying on a hospital bed then.

Ressler came in and went straight for the coffee machine and Lily went to talk to him: "Hey, is everything okay?" He turned around and she could see there was something in his eyes, some sort of anger mixed with disappointment.

He nodded his head and went to go for his desk that Lily said: "You don't look fine…" Donald stopped in his tracks and turned around and said: "No, I don't." Lily took a look around and said: "Everyone's leaving. We should too. Drinks on me, what do you say?"

Donald looked at his coffee and then threw it in the trash and said: "What the hell." Lily smirked and said: "That's the spirit!"

They left together, in silence until they reached their cars and Donald said: "I actually know a bar nearby." Lily shrugged and offered: "So let's walk then." Donald showed the way and Lily asked: "So what happened in there?"

Donald sighed and explained: "That son of a bitch is just getting started. He has a list or as he's calling it, a blacklist. He has hundreds of names, of criminals that according to him, we don't even know they exist."

Lily asked: "And we trust him? I mean, he did help us save that little girl and a lot of kids today but he's Reddington, right?" Donald sighed and nodded: "That is exactly what I think. I've been tracking him for five years, I know him better than anyone but…"

Lily asked as they reached the bar: "But what?" Donald looked her right in the eyes: "Cooper wants in. He wants to build a unit on him. I'll be there, Keen will be there, of course. And you. I specifically asked for you to be the head tech. If there's even a small chance that he's telling some sort of truth, I'm willing to take that action and clean the world of those motherfuckers out there."

Lily nodded and said: "We'll work together, Donald, and we will catch everyone on that list." Donald smiled and led her in the bar and he marched in after her. He ordered a glass of Scotch and she ordered a Martini.

After their drinks were ready, she said quietly: "I don't think Cooper making a unit out of us was the reason you were upset…" Donald played with his glass and then clicked it with hers and drank the whole thing in a heartbeat and ordered another one.

She heard his tired voice say: "He surrendered himself…" Lily finally figured him out and said: "It doesn't mean that you didn't do your best all these years, Donald." His second drink arrived and he went to drink it again but she took it before he could reach it and held it near herself.

Donald looked at her confused and Lily said: "Donald Ressler, you are one of the best agents out there. It's true that you didn't catch Reddington but it only proves that no one could." Donald frowned but Lily didn't let him talk:

"He is the best of the best, we both know that. He surrendered only because he wanted to. He was found only because he wanted to be found and there's nothing we can do about it. We, or basically you, just have to stick with him to figure out his motives while putting unknown criminals behind bars."

Donald finally nodded and before Lily could protest he snatched the Scotch right out of her hand. The little touch made her skin burn and she quickly took a sip of her Martini to calm herself down after that little speech.

Donald's phone started ringing and he picked it up but not before he cleared his throat: "Ressler. Yes, sir. I'll be right there." He hung up and explained: "It's Cooper, he needs to see me. Shit. Do I smell of alcohol?!"

Lily smirked and sniffed him a little and shook her head as a 'no'. Donald went to grab his wallet from his coat that Lily said: "These are on me, remember?" Donald didn't listen to her and paid the bartender and then said: "Your little talk was all I needed, maybe next time."

He smiled at her, adjusted his tie and left her in the bar. Lily drank the rest of her Martini and closed her eyes thinking about him. All these month that she had worked with him, she may hated him sometimes, but she couldn't stop herself from feeling a connection between them either.

She touched her hand in the place his fingers caressed unintentionally and sighed. To stop herself from thinking about him, she grabbed her bag and left the bar to get some fresh air. Hi face came to her mind again and she whined to herself: "You really need to stop thinking about Donald Ressler…"

**What did you think?**

**I'll be more than happy to hear your thoughts! I have a whole storyline in my mind, but I just want to make sure there are people who are interested before publishing more and more!**

**So, hit me up, feel free to ask or suggest anything!**

**Xoxo,**

**S**


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of The Blacklist characters, however I own some original characters that you'll get to know them one by one.**

**Here's the second chapter, hope you'll enjoy it ;)**

**(I've put up a link of the picture of the dress Lily's wearing in this chapter on my profile, check it out!)**

Chapter2_A Good Man

"Good morning, and yet we have another disaster on our hands." Lily heard him as she walked in the unit. She groaned and asked: "Did he blurt something out again?" Ressler accompanied her to her desk and answered: "Yeah, an incident is supposed to happen apparently."

Lily took off her coat and sat down and asked: "At where?" Donald took a look at his watch and said: "Decatur industrial park, I have to leave, contact them?" Lily nodded and started working right away.

It was twenty minutes after eleven, that she heard Ressler yell something about clearing the area. He informed her a passenger train derailed and lots of people were dead. Lily contacted Harold and he confronted Reddington about it.

Ressler got there in time to see Reddington walk around and explain the works of The Freelancer; the next name on the blacklist. Cooper finally asked how they could find him and Reddington said he would find the man himself.

Lily watched amused as Ressler tried to joke: "Were you two pen pals? You guys send each other coded e-mails?" Reddington calmly answered that he didn't have an e-mail, a phone or an address. Donald looked at him bitterly and then noticed Lily smirking.

He narrowed his eyes at her and she put a hand on her mouth, trying so hard not to laugh at him and Donald took his eyes off her and concentrated on Reddington again.

There was nothing much for Lily to do that day, though everyone else was quite busy. Reddington and Keen were going to Montreal and Ressler was following them to keep an eye on them in case Reddington tried to flee.

He grabbed anything he needed and was about to leave that he bumped into Lily getting fresh coffee. She said with a smile: "Have a safe flight, agent Ressler." She tried to walk past him but he said: "I honestly don't know how you do it."

She frowned and asked: "Do what?" Ressler shrugged and answered: "Stay positive all the time. Smiling constantly. Even after…" The look on her face made him quiet and he regretted saying anything. Lily tried to look calm when she answered: "After everything that happened to me? It's a gift, I guess."

She finally walked to her desk and left him looking sorry. She tried not to look in his direction until he had left the unit. She put her coffee down and closed her eyes, remembering one of their early fights…

"_**Where's the boy?" Ressler asked in a rush and Lily said: "I don't think he could talk to you right now." Ressler asked confused: "What are you talking about? That boy saw something, I'm sure."**_

_**Lily stood up and tried to reason with him: "With all due respect, sir, you don't understand his situation right now." Ressler wasn't in a mood to argue with her but he was too angry to care: "Why is that?"**_

_**Lily's voice went somewhat higher when she said: "His parents just died, while he watched. How could you even ask to speak to him now?" Ressler said bitterly: "I don't have all the time in the world to wait until he's recovered to answer a few fucking questions."**_

_**Lily's eyes were on fire as she was glaring at him and made him ask: "Why you care so much? His parents died, not yours." The moment the words came out of his mouth, he finally remembered something.**_

_**All the fire in her eyes suddenly extinguished and there was nothing but emptiness in them. Donald opened his mouth to say something but before he could, she stormed off. He went to follow her, but then he remembered the boy so he sighed and went into the opposite direction.**_

_**Lily tried not to think about him or the incident but she wasn't successful. She could still remember, standing in her room, hearing her phone ring, answering, hearing a stranger asking her to stay calm, asking her to get herself to the address he was giving, a hospital.**_

_**Damn Ressler, he brought everything that she tried to keep hidden in the back of her mind back. The panic, the rush, driving like a mad person, reaching the hospital, running through the crowd, climbing the stairs with a speed that had everyone staring.**_

_**And then there was the news…**_

_**She noticed work hours were over so she gathered all her power and pushed away the memories and stood up. She grabbed her bag and nodded for a few people still behind their desks and made her way out.**_

_**She went straight to the parking lot but before she could open the door of her car, she heard footsteps, like somebody was running towards the entrance. She turned around and saw Ressler, stopping right when he saw her.**_

_**She couldn't look at him so she turned around and opened the door so she could get in before they could have any sort of talk. She despised him at that moment, not him maybe, but the thought of him being so cold and emotionless.**_

_**She was stopped, though, by him as he reached her and closed the door. She turned to face him and asked coldly: "What do you want, sir?" Ressler's face softened as he said quietly: "I want to let you know I'm sorry."**_

_**Lily scoffed and said: "Alright." And went to open the door again but Ressler stopped her, again. He said: "I honestly don't know why I said that. I was being…" Lily offered angrily: "Cruel? Insensitive? Completely oblivious to other people's feelings?"**_

_**Donald chuckled a little and answered: "I was gonna say I was being such a dick but those were true as well." Lily felt a little smile forming at the corner of her lips and Ressler saw it and called her on it: "You're smiling!"**_

_**Lily frowned and said: "It doesn't mean I forgave you just yet." Donald smiled and said: "I'll make it up to you. How about I buy you dinner tomorrow night?" Lily joked: "Spending a night out with you? Having a meal? Ugh!"**_

_**Donald made a face at her and said: "Haha! Very funny. So what do you say?" Lily shrugged and said: "Alright, let me see if you can pick a good place and then I see if I can forgive you…" She finished her sentence with a playful smile and before Donald could stop her again, she got into her car.**_

_**She started the car and rolled down the windows, asking: "So did the boy say anything?" Ressler said disappointed: "He did, but nothing important. By the way, I asked a therapist from Bureau to go and see if he needed any kind of help."**_

_**Lily was truly impressed and had nothing to say to him. She smiled and got out of her spot but something came to her mind and before she could go for the exit, she said loud so he could hear: "Maybe you don't need to buy me dinner after all…"**_

Lily shook her head, trying not to think about anything else and focused on her job but she secretly wondered about what he would say to her after he would get back.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Lily walked in the Post Office, holding her favorite hot chocolate from the café around the corner, and she immediately spotted him. She pretended she didn't notice him though, as she walked to her desk with her eyes glued to her chair.

She saw him walk closer from the corner of her eyes and took a sip of her mug. She heard him ask: "I heart technology?!" That was the logo on her favorite mug that she carried around with her. She chuckled uncontrollably and shrugged.

Lily finally put her mug down, looked at him and said: "You're back. Anything interesting?" He leaned against her desk and answered: "We found the freelancer's next victim: Floriana Campo."

Lily that was taking another sip, almost choked on her hot chocolate and asked horrified: "Floriana Campo? Are you serious?" Ressler looked at her confused and asked: "Yeah, we've just met her. You know her?" She exclaimed: "Of course I know her! Don't you?"

Ressler stuttered: "Yeah, I mean, no. What's the big deal?" Lily looked at him with her raised eyebrows and said: "Google her." Ressler chuckled and said: "Actually, that's what you're about to do now. We're doing a briefing on her in ten minutes."

Lily started working right away and everything that mattered about Floriana was on the big screen in front of agents. Elizabeth who knew a great deal about Floriana herself, started explaining about her and finally about the fundraiser.

She heard later that Reddington rejected Elizabeth and told her he wouldn't cooperate until his deal was accepted. There was nothing left to do, so Cooper finally got him a deal and soon everyone was talking about going to the fundraiser.

Lily sighed, hardly remembering the last time she went to an event like that. Donald was authorizing the agents accompanying them to the fundraiser and after he was done, he noticed Lily was looking at them sadly.

He walked up to her and asked: "Hey, something wrong?" Lily shrugged and said: "I don't know. I just realized it's been a long time since I went to a fundraiser or a party for that matter. For a moment, I wished I was an agent. It's silly really…"

Donald was quiet for a moment and right when Lily started regretting saying anything to him in the first place, he offered: "I think I'm allowed to bring a plus one, if you're interested…"

Lily's eyes sparkled for a quick moment and she gasped: "Really?" Donald chuckled and then said: "You have the new address, it starts at eight." Lily bit her lower lip with excitement and said: "Thank you, Donald."

He nodded and went to talk to other agents. Lily exclaimed quietly: "I can't believe I'll get to see Floriana Campo!"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was already thirty minutes after eight, but Donald noticed she wasn't there yet. Keen was busy with Reddington and Meera was keeping an eye on the balcony. He turned his head to the entrance and he froze right away.

There she was, making her way towards the crowd, looking more beautiful than ever. Donald had never seen her like that and he was finding it hard to take his eyes off her. She was wearing a long black lace dress, with her dark hair loose on her shoulders, and red lipstick.

Donald gulped and realized she spotted him in the crowd and tried to look as normal as possible. She smiled as she walked up to him and before he could stop himself, he said: "You look fantastic…"

Her smile grew wider and she said: "You look good too, as always." Donald smirked and asked: "As always?" She shrugged and said: "Well, you're always in a suit, what can I say?" Before he could laugh off her comment, he was notified by Meera and he left for the balcony.

Lily grabbed a glass of Champagne and started walking around. She only took a sip from her drink and then she heard someone behind her say: "Well, if it isn't the brains of the Post Office joining us tonight!"

Lily turned around and saw Reddington with a charming grin on his face and she smiled politely at him: "Mr. Reddington." He took her hand and put a gentle kiss on it and said: "Needless to say, you look beautiful."

Lily blushed and offered: "Nice bowtie!" Reddington threw his head back and laughed in his own significant way and said: "Thanks sweetheart. You, out of all the people I met at the FBI, are the nicest to me. May I know why?"

He sounded amused and Lily answered playfully: "Maybe I'm that good of a person!" Reddington chuckled and clicked his glass with hers and walked away. Donald reached her before she could move: "What did he want from you?"

Lily explained: "Nothing. Just making small talk, I guess." Before he could ask anything else, a woman started talking about her past and how she was appreciative of Floriana. Floriana gave a speech herself and Donald noticed how hard Lily was clapping for her.

Only a moment later, Elizabeth shouted and started chasing The Freelancer. Donald said in a hurry: "Be careful." And ran towards the stairs, where The Freelancer was running to as well. It all happened so fast, Lily could only wish nothing bad would happen to them.

She noticed Meera moving Floriana to a safe place and looked around to find Reddington in the crowd but he was missing. She turned all the way around and caught a glimpse of his head and followed him on instinct.

Reddington and his friends moved around a lot and they were making it hard for her to follow them. After what seemed like twenty minutes of walking around in corners she noticed Dembe parted ways and went his way. Reddington stayed in the shadows and after minutes, he finally followed Dembe's path.

He was going towards the suit that was meant for Floriana but she didn't know why. Suddenly something clicked in her mind. He wanted this to happen; he wanted to get her alone. Her thoughts made her act clumsily and before she could hide, Reddington turned around and saw her.

The look on his face was unreadable to her and it frightened her. She remembered all the things Donald told her about the man, all the things he was capable of. She held her head up and said: "I'm not gonna let you hurt her."

Reddington laughed out loud and said amused: "I knew there was something different about you…" He signed Dembe and he came towards her. There was no way she could flee so she gave up and let him escort her towards the suit.

Lily noticed the security men were on the floor, apparently unconscious and she asked: "What is going on? Why are you taking me along with you?" Reddington calmly answered: "To open your eyes." Dembe opened the door and Reddington and Lily walked in.

Reddington put his hand on her back and guided her to a much quieter, darker part of the suit. They both sat down and Reddington said: "Soon, she will be here. If you make any sound, I won't have any choice but to hush you myself. Do you understand?"

Lily nodded quietly and before they knew it, the bathroom door opened and Floriana came out with a towel. She didn't notice them at first but when she did, she was more than surprised. Lily watched as Reddington lured her into talking in front of Lily, admitting she was in fact the head of Eberhardt cartel.

Lily couldn't believe her eyes, the woman, one of her idols, the voice of freedom, was a fraud. Before anything else could be revealed, Keen rushed in and stopped in her tracks as she saw Lily there with Reddington.

Elizabeth didn't believe a word Reddington was saying so Lily offered: "It's the truth, Elizabeth." Liz looked at her with her scared eyes, silently begging her to say it was all just a joke. Floriana fell on the floor, apparently dying from the drug.

Lily jumped up and rushed to help Liz; she didn't care if she was a monster, she couldn't let her die. Reddington had the antidote but he wasn't willing to give it up. Floriana finally admitted to Elizabeth that she was in fact who Reddington said she was.

The door got kicked in and Ressler and Malik got inside. Ressler saw Lily, on the floor next to Floriana, with a scared look on her face. He noticed she was in shock, her mouth was wide open; it looked like she couldn't breathe.

He rushed to her and put his hand on her waist and lifted her up. Before she could stop herself, she threw herself in his arms, sobbing. Everyone in the room was looking at them and not Floriana who had finally died.

He noticed everyone was leaving the room quietly. Meera and Liz went outside to alarm more security and an ambulance. Reddington and Dembe also left, but not before Reddington gave Ressler a meaningful look.

Ressler slowly put his hand on her back and held her close as her tears soaked his shirt. She whispered into his chest: "I'm so sorry… I just… All I could see was…"

Ressler shushed her and let his hands squeeze her back as she was letting everything inside of her come out after God only knew how long. He knew it wasn't the right time but he couldn't help it, her smell was driving him crazy.

He knew if she stayed one more minute in his arms, he was going to lose it and it seemed like she had sensed it herself as she pulled herself away and said: "I'm sorry…" Her eyes were red and her tears were still visible on her cheeks but she still managed to look breathtaking.

Donald put his hands on her shoulders and made her look at him: "Hey, look at me… Everything will be alright, I promise." She half-smiled and sniffed before saying: "Great party, eh?"

Donald walked to the table and grabbed a couple of tissues for her and she thanked him with a nod. She wiped away her tears and said quietly: "I think I should go home now." He offered: "Do you want me to drive you?"

She shook her head and said: "I can drive, I'm much better now, thanks to you." He gave her a smile and watched her leave the suit but then she came back and said: "You know what? You can be a dick sometimes, but underneath all that, you're a good man."

With that said, she finally left and missed the look on his face. Meera came in and said: "Reddington gave us an address, he thinks we can find the girls." Donald nodded but didn't move. Meera frowned and asked: "Are you coming?" Donald muttered a quiet 'yeah' and followed her out.

He knew Lily was going to be on his mind for the rest of the night, or maybe more…

**What did you think? Leave a review for me so I'll know!**

**Love,**

**S**


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